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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Good ideas sometimes come in batches.

You know what I mean, all sorts of great ideas flying around in your head and who has time to act on all of them, so you pick and choose. This project started in my head a few months ago and I needed to learn how a 'stitch along' went. So the easiest thing to do was to jump in a do a quilt along. So I joined up with Carol at Just Let Me Quilt to do her blog hop called "Bowls With Borders" and so do go and check it, it should be a wild and interesting variety of interpretations of her paper pieced pattern called Bowls With Borders.

So this lead me to thinking again about a blog stitch along and I mused and twisted my mouth in trying to figure out one I'd really like to do was something earthy, spiritual slightly and about empowerment of women!

We women have had a hard time gaining ground in politics, jobs and financial empowerment. But most of all, we are so resilient and provide comfort to many. Our families are the result of efforts while we have worked outside the home or in the home. We are mothers, daughters, grandmothers and single aunts and cousins.

This great read in a BBC online newsmagazine tells alot of the power of the love of a mother.

I've also been reading a book for several years now called "The Crone-Woman of Age, Wisdom, and Power b y Barbara G. Walker" the copy I have was published in 1985. I came across it when I was taking courses at Vancouver Community College in 2009. I love old book stores and unfortunately, I don't remember the little used book store I found this book, but what a book. I recommend it!

Anyway, I wanted to interpret the profound impact this book had on me in fabric! I friend of mine passed on this found and frugal art piece to me a few years ago, its been calling to me every since.

Then I thought of my sister's one time piece made 20 years ago, but I treasure it!

So the idea here is this, interpret your inner diva, in what ever way you can from taking three woolen or cotton scarves, braided together to make your Diva/Crone talisman for your special place, your sewing room or your living room.

You can start with any three scarves to make your diva/crone figure. Any length of scarves is your call. Then follow along with me as we interpret the various stages of growth we've lived since birth. So I interpret my braided diva as the baby-me at the very bottom and moving along up the braid to woman I am today.

Work with me here, I know this braid doesn't look like much, but imagine it embellished up the braid in any way your want, just try to interpret the following areas of a female's growth.

Here is a close up of the top where my adult self will be interpreted!

This is an experience, not a project. Its about facilitating the expression of you own growth as a child, a young woman, and finally as an adult. It might make you feel interesting feelings and open door to the inner diva that maybe hasn't had an opportunity to see the light of day.

If you are interested and want to participate, try and find the book first, order it online or at another use book store. We'll start this in early October and I'll post a listing of all the blogs participating and if you don't have a blog and want to participate, just email me your documented experience with no more than five photos and I'll post it for you on my blog.

I can hardly wait to see who wants to participate? Your comment here is the indication of participation.

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hello folks,

I'm home again from our 100 mile vacation. We traveled along the Houston Main Line to Francoise Lake. There we set up our temporary home right on the shores of Francoise Lake. For several sleeps so to speak. We were really ready for some "quiet time off" and we got it.

We didn't have to reserve space, book ahead or anything complicated as that! We simple got in our truck and camper setting off without a plan, other than a general destination. LoraLee Resort on Francoise Lake is highly recommended.

I was up to favourite "hubby and me time" on the lake, it was so hot and humid! Nice breeze and lots of water, we were having fun!

I'm the "wiener again" as my hubby teases me, he rarely catches the first fish, I usually do!

Lots of 'down time' and fires, BBq's and sleep!

Of course, I found time to play with my latest crazy quilt. Its a portable project again!~

All of my ideas and interest in this piece have gone into the preparation of the creation of these blocks, some of these pieces will provide a backdrop for my upcoming online classes in Modern Crazy Quilting.

Sometimes, getting away is worth more than a break, more than a rest, but rather its worth the quiet down time to stitch.

This is how I love to take a 100 Mile vacation and stitch while I'm not fishing!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

In Canada, we're often referred to as 'those polite people" with our laws that recognize same sex marriages, abortions are available without question, we're so multicultural that sometime we wonder what our culture really is, but with all the good things and the bad things going on in Canada today, I'm happy to offer this wonderful video, just for those of you who love beer and music and inventiveness and unique style, because we're all of those and so much more!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

We decided to take a little drive and check out the wide variety of color in flowers all over the Bulkley Valley these days. We think that everything has benefited from all the rain we've been getting! My husband and I treated ourselves to a waffle cone ice cream cone for the drive.

As you can see, the day is trying to be a great day, but clouds keep on rolling in!

Then the roses came alive as we drove, the miles of wild roses kept on coming along!

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Sometimes, a quilt becomes a statement and its not intentional. It just is what it is, you know? My statement became my dedication to completion.

As you may remember, I started this quilt in I think 1997, when I took a great workshop done by friend Louisa Robertson.

She taught the "Stack n Whack" technique made very popular in the 1990's and its

originator Bethany Reynolds can be found on this site, I recommend it for in depth look of the Stack and Whack creator.

( Note: if you click on each photo, you'll get a larger image and then all the photo can be made larger from the roster at the bottom of the new screen, simple click the X to come back and read again:)

This is me, with my first outing of my stack and whack blocks. I attended the 1st. Annual Quilters Connection Retreat at a farm in Abbotsford. Our organizers and hosts, Heather, Sue and Trish having a good laugh.

Just one of the fabulous quilts by Ursula, one of my roomies and great quilter!

Ursula who retired from teaching school some years ago and has devoted her life to prime quilts. My goodness, she is talented!

Then as that retreat came to an end, I realized I had found a real fun group of people and many new friends. On the last day of the retreat, my new friends hung over the railing, stretched up on tippy toes for me to get this photo.

Retreats are so important and give a busy quilter the time and space to work on a major project or just do something light and relaxing.

My roomie Joycey and I have such a great weekend!!

In between while working on this king size quilt, I make T-shirt quilts on commission, its amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it!

King size quilts in retrospect, are intimidating! This one has been nagging me for 15 years! To my credit of determination, I hand appliqued the plates and grandma's garden blocks. This took time!

Finally, friends met in Telkwa at a quilters retreat and I sewed on the borders and corner sections of this quilt in one evening and then the next day, my friend Nola and I sandwiched it together.

I used all my quilters pins and her's too!

Nola and I spent several hours bent over 4 tables shoved together to layer the backing, raw wool batting & top together.

I settled into the rhythm of hand quilting. Our Bulkley Valley winters start about early November and last until end of March each year. I watched a few movies while hand quilting, I listen on the speaker phone talking with family from far away. The snow fell softly all our home on the Bulkley River.

I used a handmade frame from Quilters Woodwork in Ontario, Canada to hand quilt this puppy once and for all. This laptop rotating frame goes 360 degrees on a ball. Its simply fabulous. I decided on a clamshell design for the corners and border. All other blocks were outlined along seams. I moved this heavy quilt over my lap hundreds of times.

A king size quilt is hard enough to handle at the best of times. But hand quilting this one during the evening and weekend evenings, I'd watch some TV and quilt. Really only about 2-3 hours per night and suddenly, 6 months late, its done!

I've always wanted to make the clamshell pattern of old fashioned quilts I've seen made by other people is now something that I can say is my work. I've reflected on the life and times of our adult sons, solved all kinds of issues in the world, thought up new tutorials, listened to my husband at the end of his work day and grew to love the quilt that was made for my hubby. It kept me toasty while my morning tea warmed up my bones and allowed me a few stitches here and there.

Then suddenly as a surprise, it was done, binding and all!

Its so large, that the size was an issue with hanging it at the previously posted "Jewels of the Bulkley Valley" Quilt show in Smithers that is on for the whole month of July. Too bad, it was a perfect place to get a great photo of it, but alas, its not hung in an art gallery now!

When doing a Stack and Whack quilt, you need to think of the pattern repeat in your chosen new fabric purchases. Sometimes the pattern repeat can be 6 inches, sometimes its 24 or more inches between. So making a king size stack and whack, took a bunch of fabric! In this photo (above) you can see in a great example of how a simple part can make a stunning Dresden Plate fan.

In this photo (above) the clam shell design of hand quilting makes a really nice border finish. As I mentioned earlier, this quilt is for my husband, who is a biologist and an avid birder!

Hope you've enjoyed this very special quilt and please check back often or even follow my blog to see more of the work I'm doing in the coming months. I have tutorials being worked on to provide more assistance to those followers who want more help?

Tell me what you need help with and enter my little giveaway at the same time?

I have scraps of this one of kind print from late 1990's up for grabs! Leave a comment here for one entry and another entry on your facebook with a link back to this post.

This contest ends August 1, 2012, get busy and comment!

Carli

2 entries per person please, one package, I'd say of scraps to equal a meter of fabric if it was all together!